Lightened

January 30: 3 old things seen new
86. a child's old Dora boots leaving imprints in the snow... in opposite foot patterns. one little girl still has not learned to put shoes on the correct feet
87. old habits of a Wednesday night - now canceled for weather - and the newness of being able to relax on a Wednesday night
88. reading in the old testament shedding new light and new understanding

Sensing His Greatness

January 29: A song heard, a soft word, light seen
83. Song- it never gets old hearing my kids sing Jesus Loves Me. How profound a song and the greatest lesson in life to learn.
84. Soft word- a whisper of "I love you" on the lips
85. Light seen- a candle shining brightly on a gloomy, rainy, dreary day. Even one spark can make a flame. Reminds me of how I can shine my own candle in this dark world.

A little help from my friends

January 28: 3 graces found in friends
80. connections and freelance jobs
81. hospitality
82. emails of news of the loss of a loved one - remembering the good times and praying now for the hard times

The LIttle Things

January 27: 3 Gifts in the Kitchen
77. a box of gluten free goodies given to us from a friend
78. sweet smelling soap
79. a chore chart written by a child and the work he puts in making sure he works to complete it each week

Early to Rise

January 26: A gift before dawn, at noon, after dark
74. Before dawn- kids playing quietly together even before the sun came up. Nice now that they are at the age to play in the morning and I can be a bit selfish and get a bit more sleep.
75. At noon- a fast food burger. Yes. An odd gift, but I have now found that I can request a burger "low carb" (lettuce wrapped. not in a bun) style and be able to once again get a burger on the fly and not have to worry about getting sick on the bread
76. After dark-A gathering of friends for a good meal and conversation.

Something Old, Something New

January 25: A grace borrowed, found, inherited
71. borrowed- that Tupperware that keeps getting washed and then reused at just the "right" time I need it... and back in the dishwasher it goes. one day it WILL get returned... (probably the same day I will get to Walmart to buy some new ones for myself...)
72. found- that spare bit of time on a busy Friday afternoon to re-fill out that questionnaire for the women's ministry event
73. inherited- my grandma's cedar chest that sits in the corner holding our blankets. I love getting a blanket out of there and covering myself in the scent of cedar.

Blue doesn't mean sad

January 24: 3 Things Blue
68. My warm blue winter coat I've had since college. Warm. Comfy. Comfort.
69. Blue shirt twin day. Unplanned. With my son.
70. Ford Day. Car 99 photo shoot photos - bringing the boys back to the track!

Redeemed

January 23: 3 Gifts Found in Christ
65. Family of believers
66. Endless arms for hugging in the body of Christ
67. Grace. (Enough said)

wrapped up

January 22: A gift wrinkled, smooth, unfolded
62. Wrinkled- an unfolded blue fleece blanket on the couch from where Ashleigh slept from 5-7am after waking up the house letting us know the electricity was off due to some downed power lines. Thankfully the power was only off for about 45 minutes and we were able to get some more rest before school started this morning
63. Smooth- a roll of red wrapping paper to wrap a "patience gift" for our babysitter who we were finally able to pay off for her services watching Addison during school days last year
64. Unfolded- little love notes from my son left for me on my chair

Reflections

January 21: A gift in sky, water, memory
59. Sky- bright blue, warm sunshine. even with below zero temperatures, the brightest most beautiful blue.
60. Water- crazy middle school science experiments with water and rocks and the fun we have while learning
61. Memory- ripping apart our old sectional and remembering the memories made: bringing home 2 new babies and camping out there the first few weeks of their lives, movie nights with the hubby, making couch forts with the kids, hosting church kids and babysitters camping out for the night and so much more. moving out to the playroom and making room for NEW living room furniture tonight.

Check your eyes

January 20: 3 gifts only seen close-up
56. the multi-colored flecks in our children's eyes. Our kids eyes still haven't decided what color their eyes are and I love looking each of them deep into their eyes to see the color that becomes dominant each day
(today Payton's were gold, Ashleigh's were green, and Adi's were blue gray)
57. Daddy's "pick in his thumb" Ashleigh asked Jason why he had a pick in his thumb today (the bruise on his thumb nail where he injured it a few weeks ago while doing construction work). Love the cute things out of babes' mouths.
58. Little Details. It's a big change for those who see it - Jason worked to rearrange and fix the sound booth (balcony) at church and it's a great change but not many will see it. Love serving "behind the scenes" with him on Sunday mornings in the techie side of the worship service.

Forever changed

January 19: 3 gifts that might never have been
53. our warm house. When we lost our home to foreclosure we were not sure where God would take us. Then our church offered the 2nd parsonage to rent. We are so blessed to be so close to serve alongside such a wonderful church- and our neighbors are the best.
54. Booking a hotel for a trip to Wisconsin to meet up with the company I do freelance design work for. If the money had not come in for Jason's house remodel he did, we wouldn't be going, but it's in and the trip is booked.
55. Our children. That God entrusted me with three angels in itself is an everyday miracle that I know I am so blessed to have.

Basic Instructions

January 18: 3 gifts from God's word
50. Ephesians 2:10 -- We are God's special creation! Let go of our finger painting and let the artist do His great work in us.
51. 2 Chronicles 20:17 -- When we are weary remember the Lord has already won the battle!
52. Jeremiah 31:3 -- Oh how He loves us!! Amen.

Faithful

January 17: A gift bringing laughter, prayer, quiet
49. laughter: 5 crazy girls and a boy trial-running "crazy hair day" for spirit week at school in a few weeks
50. prayer: tucking in my children and them not letting me leave their room before we pray together. Love hos they remind me to stay faithful
51. quiet: the ten minutes between the school opening bell and the 2nd bell for class to begin that I can read my devotional email and prepare for the day

So I can see

January 16: Witnessed blessings
46. I care for three girls after school every other week and tonight they helped Addison play a game so everyone could play and have fun. These girls are so much fun and wonderful blessings.
47. The outpouring of love for a former member at our church who passed away suddenly last weekend.
48. Ice melting off my van. I don't mind winter so much if the ice stayed away. This year we haven't had but maybe an inch of snow and have had just about as much ice. Where did winter go? I'm happy to not have to shovel, but I could do without the ice...

15 days in!

January 15: A Gift Worn, Given Away, Shared
43. Worn: My Georgia Hoodie Sweatshirt. Just one of those comfy, warp-yourself-in-warmth, feel-good sweatshirts. Makes me long for the days when all the light and warmth we need will be resting in the arms of Jesus.
44. Given away: Hugs. I love hugs. Giving and receiving. Period.
45. Shared: Toys being played with and shared nicely between my children. Playing together. Just lovely.

Amazed

January 14: 3 Startling Graces of God
40. Grace: A kindness we don't deserve. Just the fact alone that God gives me grace at all, is an amazing mystery to me. That He would find favor in me.
41. Kindness: The willing and open coffee pot of a co-worker. Especially on a cold Monday morning.
42. Generosity of spirit: Unconditional love of my children and my children toward me. An unending grace I am so very thankful for.

Reflections

January 13: Things about myself I am grateful for
37. The legacy of faith before me and prayerfully the one I am leaving for my own children and generations to come
38. Carefree attitude. I try to not let things sink my boat.
39. My organized disorganization. Things may look messy on the outside, but inside I know where everything is at.

Open the Eyes

January 12: Something Above, Below, Beside
34. Above- the canvas print of Payton as a baby and I in Rhode Island and the inspiration it gives me to take the step of faith -and when coupons come just at the right moment to make it cost effective to get another canvas print-- for a friend.
35. Below- the last two missing puzzle pieces found under the couch by my owl-eyed daughter
36. Beside- my partner in life-my husband-and the fun he adds to everyday mundane tasks like laundry

Yellow

January 11: 3 Yellow Gifts of Fresh Mercy
31. The yellow stripe I FINALLY finished in Payton's newly painted room.
32. The Beatitudes poster in my classroom- reminding my students and myself what is truly important.
33. My yellow FRIDAY folder in my classroom that is empty for the week and tells me: GO HOME and enjoy some rest.

Yum-O

January 10: A gift sour, sweet, just right

28. Sour- the sometimes sour taste of a child having a meltdown in school. Having to realize my grown-up responsibilities and swallow the bitter pill of having to discipline said child. Yet then having her come to you and say sorry and crawl into your arms and your heart melts all over again...
29. Sweet- Vans Custard. Those who don't live in the Dundee area, I pity you.
30. Just right- a husband who loves and listens and knows just when I need that extra little bit.

Those I love

January 7: 3 Graces from people you love
19. First day back at school after 2 weeks off for winter break, and this morning my three children were up and ready and no fussing by 7:20. Grace.
20. My coworker making a pot of coffee to share without me asking. Grace.
21. My husband working so hard to provide for his family. I love him.

These things I have held in my heart...

January 9: A gift held, passed by, sat with.
25. A gift held- In my heart I hold the promises of my Savior. As I read in my devotions this morning:" Jesus did not die on the cross just to get us out of hell and into heaven. He died on the cross to get Himself out of heaven and into us!" -Renee Swope
26. Passed by- the students of GCS passing in the hallways- always ready with a smile and a hug. I love those random hugs.
27. Sat with- my baby girl who is always wanting to sit with me and hold her. I know these days will not last forever. I treasure them (even if sometimes I would rather have my lap space).

Salt and Light

January 8: Dusky light, Surprising reflection, Lovely shadow

22. Dusky light: the children and I helping my husband finish a remodel job after school today. This one is a bit of a stretch, but if I may take the challenge and twist it a bit- it was more of a DUSTY light... I will say the kids helping clean for 3 hours without a single complaint was quite a blessing.
23. Surprising reflection: The light in my children's eyes as they were serving others.
24. Lovely shadow: Ashleigh's "Mom, look how long my legs are" comment as we walked to school this morning.

Contained

January 6: Three gifts in your bag, your fridge, your heart.
16. In my bag: I don't carry a bag, but in my wallet I have a rewards card to Goodwill. As much as store cards bug me (you have to have one for pretty much EVERYWHERE and people are always asking for them- just give everyone the deals... but off the soapbox...) I love being a card-carrying member to Goodwill. I can't imagine paying full price for jeans these days. And I found a brand new pair WITH TAGS ON yesterday for $4.99. Yes. I'll keep my card in my wallet for that.
17. In my fridge: Cheese curds. Say no more.
18. In my heart: the little love moments my children give me everyday will forever stay in my heart.

Hobbies

January 5: Something You're Reading, Making, Seeing

13. Reading: My Daily Devotions that come via e-mail. One a day that always seem to hit a situation I'm currently dealing with or thinking about.
14. Making: Making home improvements. Current project: I FINALLY started re-painting Payton's bedroom. Wanted to start at the start of winter break, but now with just the weekend left, I trimmed and Payton helped roll the new color (two-tone grey) on today. More work to do tomorrow, but it's something we can do together and he likes it. He even wrote me the sweetest thank you note about it.
15. Seeing: My kids grow up. It is my prayer that they will grow up and emit the love of Christ with their lives and when I see it even now at their tender ages of 8, 5, and 3, I just pray they don't lose it.

Old, New, and Blue

January 4: A Gift Old, New, and Blue
10. Old: traditions of working on a puzzle over winter holidays
11. New: my Christmas present of a crazy hard puzzle- challenging and yet fun
12. Blue: Adi's blue blanket and her cuddle and crash time on the floor (yes, she was under that blanket) while I worked on the bulletin for church on Sunday

Day 3

January 3: 3 Graces Overheard
7. the whir of the ball return as the kids used their free Winter Break bowling passes
8. my girls saying thank you (unprodded) after a playdate with a school mate
9. not really overheard, but the buzz is out on a book that I designed on a freelance basis for a small Christian book company in Wisconsin- and for the first time in company history, they have a book on a best-seller list! I am honored to have a part in this project: "A Time For Every Purpose Under Heaven" by Chris Lohmer Kincaid. #3 on Amazon link here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/12384?ref=sr_bs_1

Daily 3 scavenger hunt continues

January 2: A gift outside, inside, on a plate
4. A gift outside: sunshine falling across the hardwood floor making my winter toes a bit warmer
5. a gift inside: 2 teens coming to say hi and one staying late so Jason and I can go out on a date
6. A gift on a plate: pecan salad for dinner on previously mentioned date. Just being able to eat out without getting sick can be so hard on the gluten free diet. So glad gf is becoming more known.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2013!
Last year I read a book I highly recommend to everyone: 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I was raised on the Christian mantra to "Count Your Blessings" - well this book reminds us how to do that - and not just the "easy" blessings... but EVERY blessings. Even the hard ones. This book changed my life last year, enough so that I am going to take the "Joy Dare" again this year. Counting my blessings keeps me humble and so thankful for the hard lessons and the little treasures that everyday God uses to bless my life. Without counting them, we can miss those moments. It is my prayer that I can in return be a blessing to others in my service to Him. So this will be a new project - and one I'm taking public. Or at least, anyone still reading this blog. Last year I counted blessings just as I found them and while the dare says to count 3 a day there were times when I didn't record anything only to count double or sometimes triple in the days to follow. This year, I'm following the Joy Dare plan and going to post my blessings here on this blog. I'm going to follow the list from www.aholyexperience.com if you are interested in also taking the Joy Dare. Be prepared though- it will change your life!

January 1: 3 Gifts Heard
1. a whisper of "I love you" from my husband
2. the children's laughter
3. worship music playing as the kids and I cleaned the house - as Ashleigh said "music to motivate"
It is my prayer that the music doesn't just motivate us to clean, but to draw us closer to our Savior this year- personally, and as a family.